There were two: $150,000 was given to former Playboy model Karen McDougal in the summer and early fall of 2016, and $130,000 went to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in late October 2016.
Because Cohen admitted that the payments were intended to protect Trump's election chances, they are deemed to be in-kind contributions to the Trump campaign.
They exceed the donation limits, a violation, and neither was included in campaign finance reports, another violation."
Fox News’ Judge Napolitano: We Now Know Trump ‘Committed a Felony’
"If you were watching Fox News when the Michael Cohen sentence came down, you would be pretty sure this was bad news for Donald Trump’s former fixer. Less clear was what it meant for the president himself.
For clarity on that, you would have had to wait a couple of hours until anchor Shepard Smith invited the reliably frank Judge Andrew Napolitano on his afternoon news hour to explain just how bad the day’s news was for Trump.
“We’ve learned that federal prosecutors here in New York City, not Bob Mueller and his team in Washington, D.C., career prosecutors here in New York City, have evidence that the president of the United States committed a felony by ordering and paying Michael Cohen to break the law,” the judicial analyst said. “How do we know that? They told that to a federal judge.”
“Under the rules, they can’t tell that to a federal judge unless they actually have that hardcore evidence,” he continued. “Under the rules, they can’t tell that to a federal judge unless they intend to do something with that evidence.”
Now those same federal prosecutors have entered into an agreement with AMI, the National Enquirer’s parent company, “which ties a bow on all of this,” Napolitano added, “which connects the dots between the payments to the two women who claim they had intimate relationships with the president, and the line running through all of that is the president himself.”
“Prosecutors have told us through these filings that they have evidence that the president committed a felony?” Smith asked his guest.
“The felony is paying Michael Cohen to commit a felony,” Napolitano concluded. “It’s pretty basic.”"
Cohen was charged with violating the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). The law limits donations by individuals to $2,700 per election.
Why are the hush money payments considered illegal campaign contributions?
Because Cohen admitted that the payments were intended to protect Trump's election chances, they are deemed to be in-kind contributions to the Trump campaign.
They exceed the donation limits, a violation, and neither was included in campaign finance reports, another violation
Why are they considered corporate contributions if Cohen arranged the deals?
Because in at least the case of the McDougal payoff, American Media Inc., the corporate parent of the National Enquirer, provided the money
Most campaign finance violations are handled as civil cases. Why are these criminal charges?
Because Cohen admitted that he violated these laws "knowingly and willfully."
Does Cohen have proof that Trump did this to influence the election?
He is married.
This looks bad
Christopher Hall
I miss grams:>(
Jackson Torres
Paying a slag to keep quiet is a very common thing that celebrities do. Its not campaign donation, claiming that just makes you sound really desperate.
John Fisher
Trumptards unite!
"Michael Cohen admits violating campaign finance laws in plea deal, agrees to 3-5 year sentence"
I don't even like Trump, but at this point they'll stretch a video of him jaywalking into a federal crime.
It's a witch hunt. They're going to find whatever they want and if they want to target you, there's fuck all you can do. Your only choices are burn slowly and suffer or burn quickly and get it over with. Cohen chose to burn quickly because frankly, what's the point?
Honestly, Trump is the perfect distraction to the people. Our legal system is making a circus out of nothing, meanwhile Israeli agents are having a field day with our laws.
Goddamn those Russians.
Zachary Johnson
...
Camden Gray
And another day of hype and nothing really happening yet. Reminds me a lot like the "Q" user movement, only on the other side of the isle.
"What campaign finance laws did Cohen plead guilty to violating? Cohen was charged with violating the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). The law limits donations by individuals to $2,700 per election. It also bans corporations from making any contributions to candidates.
What were the payments? There were two: $150,000 was given to former Playboy model Karen McDougal in the summer and early fall of 2016, and $130,000 went to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in late October 2016.
Why are the hush money payments considered illegal campaign contributions? Because Cohen admitted that the payments were intended to protect Trump's election chances, they are deemed to be in-kind contributions to the Trump campaign.
They exceed the donation limits, a violation, and neither was included in campaign finance reports, another violation."
I have no love for Trump, but the act of paying for some whores’ silence during annelection, because it’s an election, does not imply he used campaign monies. Nor does it prove he used them. Is there something I’m missing? The guy’s at least got a hundred million or so in actual personal wealth. He can afford the pussy tax without defrauding supporters.
Cooper Miller
This makes it seem like Stormy was running for election. He can’t receive more than 2,700, but I don’t see why she can’t. Is this about it going from Trump to Cohen, with Cohen kn a professional campaign role that makes this dicey?
Henry Wright
I guess contributions are “in-kind” when they pay for chocolate cake, diet pepsi, or btfo’d snatch on this interpretation.
Cameron Hill
Now I know why the Ancient Greeks abandoned ugly babies on the mountainside and left them to the bears and wolves.